Sony NEX-5R Digital Camera: Appealing to More Serious Mirrorless Camera Photographers

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NEX5RKB image Of the three major camera manufacturers, Sony was the first to enter the mirrorless camera market and experience much success there. Canon and Nikon have been late bloomers, with the Nikon 1 System introduced during late 2011 and Canon’s EOS M camera becoming available during July 2012. Sony’s head start means it has been able to design and manufacture a growing line of NEX cameras, with various series within in the line appealing to different sub-sectors of the mirrorless marketplace. Sony has been rewarded for its efforts and continues to offer new cameras to a very specific group of photographers ready for the mirrorless experience. The Sony NEX 5R is the latest of the company’s segmentation.

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At first glance, it isn’t easy to distinguish the differences between the new Sony NEX-5R and the NEX-5N it has replaced. Interested buyers will be happy to note that Sony builds the NEX-5R with the same quality construction, including its magnesium alloy shell, solid feel and substantial rubber grip. A major change that is sure to catch the eye of more serious photographers is that the 3” LCD screen now tilts through 180 degrees, so self-portraits are easily composed as well as providing the versatility to shoot from overhead.

Sony obviously recognized a segment of the mirrorless camera market that wanted more control functionality than what the NEX-5N offered. The new NEX-5R, therefore, features a control dial and Fn-button on the top of the camera’s exterior. With the dial, you can switch aperture or shutter speed or both, according to the shooting mode you’ve selected. Press the Fn-button to see the customizable function menu. The LCD screen will show the six default options: AF/MF select, AF mode, AF area mode, white balance, metering mode and picture effect. Being customizable, however, the screen choices can be designated for any of 16 modes. These may not seem like significant upgrades to photographers who still mainly rely on a camera’s Auto mode, but to serious photographers, who want more DSLR-like creative control, these changes to the Sony NEX-5R are quite meaningful.

Two other upgrades are equally important in the Sony NEX-5R that boosts its competitive stance. It is the first Sony NEX camera to include Wi-Fi connectivity and on-camera apps. These are Sony-only currently, but the company states that it will be expanding its proprietary apps for the NEX-5R. This new features allows the photographer to connect with an iPhone or Android-based smartphone, Facebook and Sony’s PlayMemories site as well as triggering the shutter and viewing the live image with a smartphone.

The second upgrade that will cause serious photographers to take notice is the introduction of a Hybrid autofocus (AF) system, the first on any Sony NEX camera. A major downside of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras has been that they are designed with a contrast-detection autofocus system (CDAF), which is also found on compact cameras (point-and-shoots). DSLRs, however, have a phase-detection autofocus system (PDAF). The CDAF system in mirrorless cameras has proven to have difficulty when the system is asked to operate continuously, as the photographer tries to follow moving subjects, especially if they are moving closer or farther from the camera. DSLR cameras’ PDAF system does a much better job of tracking movement. Now that the Sony NEX-5R has PDAF capabilities, it can follow focus more like a DSLR when the subject is moving towards or back from the camera. This makes the NEX-5R a mirrorless camera that can actually be used successfully for action and sports photography. Video shooters will also benefit from the NEX-5R’s phase-detection AF, since it will maintain a better focus on subjects moving during movie making.

Sony NEX-5R Major Features

16.1-MP CMOS sensor.
ISO Range: 100–25,600.
Top-plate control dial.
Dedicated Fn button.
Wi-Fi connectivity to Wi-Fi networks or smartphones.
Proprietary in-camera apps.
3” tilting, touchscreen display.
Electronic First Curtain shutter.
1080p 60p HD movies in AVCHD (50p on PAL region models).

The Sony NEX-5RK/B Digital Camera with an 18–55 zoom lens is available from Amazon

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